Furtastic

USER RESEARCH · EMPATHY MAPPING · WIREFRAMING · USABILITY TESTING · HI-FI PROTOTYPING

An all-in-one mobile app for pet owners combining health records, vet scheduling, GPS tracking, boarding finders, and a pet store into a single, joyful experience.

TIMELINE

2022

PLATFORM

Mobile App

MARKET

Urban India

-- THE PROBLEM

Pet owners juggle too many apps

Pet owners in India are managing their pet's health, appointments, food, and safety across a patchwork of apps, paper records, phone reminders, and Google searches. There is no single trusted place.

This is particularly acute for first-time pet owners who are anxious about getting everything right, and for multi-pet households managing complex, overlapping schedules.

-- THE OPPORTUNITY

What users actually struggle with

Keeping a paper trail for vaccination and deworming records (easily lost, hard to share with new vets)

No way to track a pet's whereabouts, so anxiety spikes when pets wander or go missing

No curated list of trusted pet sitters or boarding kennels, leaving owners to rely on Google reviews alone

Buying pet products from generic marketplaces with no pet-specific curation or trusted recommendations

USER RESEARCH

What pet owners told us

After initial market analysis, interviews were conducted with a group of pet owners to learn about their mindset, daily habits, and unmet needs.

60%

of pet owners cited health as their biggest concern, above physical activity and behavioural issues combined

30%

each flagged responsibility and maintaining a schedule as top concerns about owning a pet

25%

said not being able to go out often was a pain, pointing directly to the need for trusted boarding and sitter solutions

BIGGEST CONCERNS ABOUT PET CARE

Health

60%

Responsibility

30%

Physical Activity

25%

Maintaining a Schedule

30%

USER PERSONAS

Two very different pet owners

Both personas were derived from survey results and storyboarding. They represent opposite ends of the user spectrum but share the same core anxiety: their pet's wellbeing.

Sasha

29 · Architect · Chennai, India

Indie Spitz Owner · 2 years

Sasha works from home 3 days a week and loves spending mornings with her dog. But during hectic work periods, she worries she'll forget annual vaccination schedules or medication doses. She leaves her dog with her parents when she travels, and anxiously wonders if everything is in order.

"I keep reminders on my phone for deworming, but I'm never sure if I've got all the dates right. I didn't even know an app could do this for me."

Sasha

60 & 58 · Retired · Chennai, India

Senior dog (13 yrs) + new puppy

Pratap and Manasa are animal lovers with a large estate outside Chennai with two dogs, two horses, a cow, and caretakers. Their new puppy frequently wanders off on the large property. While they have experienced caretakers, they worry about being able to track the puppy and manage the health records of two very different dogs.

"Our young puppy keeps wandering off. We've thought about microchipping but didn't know we could track them through an app."

EMPATHY MAPPING

Understanding what users think, feel & do

An empathy map analysis helped define the app's core functions by mapping user thoughts and feelings to concrete product needs.

What they say

I don't want to forget my pet's vaccine or medicine times
I want to find a trustworthy person to take care of my pet
I want to shop online for all my pet's needs
I don't want to lose my pet in any situation

What they think

I want my pet to be hale and healthy
I want regular updates and good reviews of carers
I want to find good stuff for my pet online
I don't want my pet to eat anything harmful

What they do

Keep phone reminders for medication and deworming
Search for vets, pet sitters and kennels on Google
Use Amazon or independent stores like HUFT for supplies
Ask their vet for information between visits

What they feel

Anxious that their pet care might be inadequate
Worried about travelling and leaving their pet
Hopeful about finding good treats, toys and food
Loved and excited when they spend time with their pet

Pains

Calling up the vet's office each time for appointments
Going to a pet store physically to buy things
Keeping a paper trail for vaccination and deworming records
Unknown location whereabouts of their pet
No curated list of pet sitters or boarding kennels

Gains Furtastic delivers

Easy and simple scheduling with in-app vet appointment booking
Online store with curated pet products and instant delivery
Digital records and reminders for vaccinations and deworming
GPS tracking to locate your pet and stay worry-free

CORE FEATURES

Everything a pet owner actually needs

Six feature pillars, each mapped directly to a pain point identified in research. No features for features' sake.

Health Records

Complete digital health history: doctor visits, vaccinations, medications, and diagnoses. One tap to share with any vet.

Vet Scheduling

Browse nearby animal hospitals and clinics, view profiles, and book appointments directly without calling.

GPS Pet Tracking

Microchip-linked GPS lets you see your pet's real-time location. Designed specifically for pets that wander.

Boarding & Sitters

Curated directory of verified kennels, boarding houses, and pet sitters, with ratings, distance, and pricing all in one place.

Pet Store

A convenience store with a large catalogue of food, treats, accessories, and medicines, filtered by your pet's needs.

Medications & Reminders

Track active medications and set smart reminders for deworming, vaccinations, and vet checkups. Never miss a dose again.

SUCCESS METRICS

How we'd know

Success for Furtastic means reducing anxiety for pet owners, measurable through engagement with health and tracking features, not just downloads.

HEALTH & RECORDS

Vaccination record completion rate

Are users digitising their pet's full health history?

Reminder set rate

Do users set at least one health reminder after onboarding?

ENGAGEMENT

D7 / D30 retention

Are users returning after the initial setup high?

Vet booking conversion rate

Of users who browse vets, how many complete a booking?

SAFETY & TRUST

GPS tracking activation rate

Do users who set up tracking feel less anxious? (NPS proxy)

Boarding search → booking rate

Does the curated sitter list convert better than Google?

NEXT STEPS

Open questions before launch

Six feature pillars, each mapped directly to a pain point identified in research. No features for features' sake.

Microchip / GPS Integration

How does the tracking feature actually connect to hardware? Which microchip providers would we need to partner with, and at what cost to users?

Vet & Boarding Partner Acquisition

What incentivises vets and boarding centres to list on Furtastic vs. Google? What's the partnership model: commission, listing fee, or referral?

Multi-Pet Complexity

Pratap and Manasa have very different animals. Does the current IA scale gracefully to multi-pet households without feeling cluttered?

Older User Accessibility

Pratap and Manasa are 60+. Did usability testing include older users? Font sizes, touch targets, and navigation complexity may need a second pass.

"Furtastic taught me that the best products aren't the ones with the most features. They're the ones that make anxious people feel calm."

Every feature in Furtastic exists to reduce a specific anxiety: health records for forgetfulness, GPS for wandering, boarding for travel guilt. That clarity of purpose is what makes it coherent.